Kate Wheeling: “It’s that time of year again: The day after Christmas. The holiday-season stress is over; the only thing to worry about now is what you’re going to do with that pair of Sauna Pants from Aunt Midge, who, bless her heart, still hasn’t grown out of her as-seen-on-TV phase. I’m here to tell you that science says you can just give them away. You’re welcome.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
They’re Producing ‘Fiddler On The Roof’ In Yiddish (What Took So Long?)
Lyricist Sheldon Harnick and director Jerry Saks will consult on the New York production by the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene. And, evidently, the author of the original Yiddish-language Tevye-the-Dairyman stories will be a character.
The First Computer-Generated Christmas Carols Came From Alan Turing’s Lab In 1951
“Now researchers from the Turing Archive at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand have used old recordings to recreate a now-lost 1951 BBC broadcast of a couple of [those] Christmas carols.” (includes sound clips)
Why Is ‘Nutcracker’ So Popular Everywhere? Because It’s So Adaptable
Not only does the scenario offer interpretative possibilities ranging from a simple child-oriented extravaganza to a sexual awakening for young Clara, it has proved flexible enough for localized versions everywhere from China to Hawaii to South Africa. (Not to mention Mark Morris’s trailer-trash Americana.)
A Breakthrough In Deciphering The Incas’ Mysterious Knotted-String ‘Writing’, Made By A Harvard Undergrad
Unlike the Mayans, the Incas never developed a system of writing: they recorded information in intricately knotted and colored sets of string called khipu or quipu. No one in the modern age has been able to figure out how to read them, because there’s no equivalent of the Rosetta Stone. Then, three years ago, then-19-year-old Manny Medrano made a key discovery.
The Forgotten Story Of How Lincoln Center Was Built (It Was An Ugly Business)
“Lincoln Center was the crown-jewel project of the Mayor’s Committee on Slum Clearance, which was overseen by Robert Moses, the man who reshaped the city in the mid-20th century.” As Robert Caro wrote, “Moses was not making even a pretense of creating new homes for the [7,000-plus] families displaced.”
Explaining The New Tax Bill’s Potential Effect On The Art Market
Anna Louie Sussman looks at the implications of the legislation.
Artsy’s 25 People Who Defined Visual Culture In 2017
This year’s list runs from Maria Balshaw (the first woman to head the Tate gallery system); through Dana Schutz and the artists who led the attack on her painting of Emmett Till, the creators of the “pussy hat” and of the Fearless Girl sculpture on Wall Street; down to the photographer who created the pregnant-Beyoncé image – not to mention Beyoncé’s sister, Solange Knowles.
WNYC Firings: What Went Wrong At America’s Biggest Public Radio Station?
Over the past two decades, under CEO Laura Walker and deputy Dean Cappello, New York Public Radio has become known (even more than before) as a programming and podcasting powerhouse. How did things get to the point that three of the station’s best-known hosts were fired within four months? And why only now, when management was aware of the relevant problems for years? A reporter looks into how, as Walker puts it, concerns about growth and content crowded out concern with the people producing the content.
Can The Arts Really Help Repair A Broken, Divided Society? This Research Grant Aims To Start Answering That Question
Intuitively, most of us arts types sense (or at least want to believe) that the answer is yes. Now the Mellon Foundation is funding a study to get real data to back up that answer (or not).